Tricks of the Trade
by WeepingAngelBrokenHeart
Summary: After the events on the beach at the end of Journey's End, the metacrisis Doctor learns about the new life that Rose and Jackie have in the parallel universe, with Rose as second in command of Torchwood to Toni Bryant, the American millionaire with more than a few secrets. Follow the story as seen through Toni's eyes through all sorts of adventure...right up to the day she dies.


I don't have much time left to write this down. I'm dying, and my greatest wish is that everyone know the truth of the last few years of my life before I die. But, as I know that they will be reading this, I have a special note for the following.

Rose: I am perfectly aware that a little ways into these stories of mine, you'll probably want to punch me in the face, so I'm really glad that I'm gonna be dead as a doorknob by the time you read this, 'cause you would murder me if I wasn't. Thanks for everything, though.

AJ: I've found out your secret, and I just want you to know that I am _SO_ proud of you. In the years that I've known you, you've simply blossomed into something more wonderful than I could ever have imagined. No matter what you have done in the past, it could never even begin to overshadow all the extraordinary things you've done. I am unspeakably proud of you.

Doctor (you know which one): I'm sorry I've given you so much grief. I joked about my revolution really just to convince myself that I'd be fine. When you figured out that it was the energy from the TARDIS that was killing me even faster, I saw you beating yourself up about it, and saying that you'd killed me, like it was your fault I was the way I was. Actually, you saved me, if nothing at all. If it hadn't been for you, I would have died slowly and painfully, with this chasm in me that never was filled. Why do you think I moved around so much during my. . .life. I wished you had said a proper goodbye, though. Then again, you never once said goodbye in the time I knew you. You'll say goodbye this time, though. I know you will.

John Smith: I guess this is it, huh? I always said that everyone has a point of no return; a point where they've made a choice that they can't turn around from, no matter how badly they want to. You 'n I, we never had a chance, and you know it. Consider this my confession, to you and everyone. This is my necklace. This is what I've hidden, and this is my story. This is the last place I've hidden the pieces of my memory. And this is the last place you'll ever see me. Goodbye, old friend. I'll miss you.

This all started in 2008, when Rose came back from her original dimension/universe or whatever. I'd been on patrol looking for her and Jackie (I never really cared that much about Mickey), and my crazy sixth sense told me to try Bad Wolf Bay. This was just on a whim, and lo and behold, there was Rose and Jackie Tyler standing on the beach with... some other guy, who was getting some serious lip service from Rose. I didn't really care at the time, since I figured it was an old friend of Rose's. So, I waited a few minutes before landing the craft. My trainee AJ and I had worked on the controls for that ship for weeks since it had been issued to us as _our_ ship. Anyway, we landed the aircraft, opened the door, and let them in.

"Hey, kid. Look what the cat dragged in!" I joked as Rose stepped into the aircraft. Rose just laughed and sat down behind me, like she always does when I make fun of her.

"This is a _beautiful_ structure!" said a voice. I turned around to see the guy that was on the beach with the Tyler ladies (as I like to call them).

I supposed that one could call him good-looking. He was a tall, thin thing with dark brown hair in spikes in the front. He was kind of pale, but not as pale as AJ, who looks like a ghost on some occasions. I believe in the saying 'the eyes are the window to the soul' (mostly), and the first thing I look at in a person is their eyes. His eyes were a warm dark brown that betrayed more than anyone would think. His eyes were cold, hurt, wise, intelligent, brave, confused, lost, happy, and ancient all at the same time. I figured that this was the 'Doctor' Rose would never shut up about. It only took a moment to make all my observations, and when I was done, I looked at his face like a normal person would, and I saw a charming smile lighting up his face as he gazed around my ship in wonder.

"You like her? She's the first of her kind, and she's all mine."

"Who says the ship's yours? Last I checked, the aircraft was going to the head of Torchwood, not you." Jackie snapped instantly.

I sighed and closed the ramp. It was good to have her back home. Now I could finally have my every move criticized again. Yay.

"I am the head of Torchwood, Jackie. You guys have been gone a few months now, and a lot has happened that you need to get caught up on."

"Bringing 'er up," AJ told me through the com.

I activated my own com. "Roger that, Pond. How are we on fuel? Enough to get us home?"

AJ snorted. "To London, yes. Your home on the other hand, definitely not."

I gave a small laugh at the trainee's comment. "Kid, I haven't been to that home in ages, and England is my home now. Could you please stop pointing out the fact that I'm American and get on with life NOW?"

"Alright, alright. At least I'm not the only Scottish one around." AJ muttered.

"AJ, I have complete control of this bird from where I'm sitting right now. I could give you a shock so hard you'll be talking like a Scottish _mouse_ for the rest of your days."

"Yes ma'am," AJ said immediately.

"Okay then. Let's get this baby home."

We flew in relative silence for the next few minutes before we reached a safe altitude and I transferred control over to AJ up in the bridge. Once I was sure that the kid had control, I let the joysticks retreat back into the control panel, and I swiveled around to face my three passengers.

"Well, I'm here to answer all your questions. AJ's got control, so we'll be fine."

"You let a nineteen-year-old control a heavily armed aircraft?" Rose asked immediately, panic obvious in her voice.

"Remind me how old you were the first time you saved the world?" I asked pointedly, having that comeback prepared.

"Who designed this ship?" The Doctor (I guessed) asked, still looking around at the ship.

"Pete did. I've got friends everywhere, and they helped us make this baby real. She's a beauty, isn't she? We're still thinking of a name for her, though."

"I've got an idea, if you want it." He said, focusing on my face for the first time.

"I'm open to suggestions. Speaking of names, have you got one?"

The man nodded. "I used to be the Doctor. . .but I have a feeling that won't work anymore."

"Is there anything else people call you?" I asked, nodding in response to his query. It's weird, because looking back at this first conversation I had with him, it seems like Rose and Jackie sort of faded out of the picture. It was just him and I. Dunno what it was, but I can think of multiple people I know that would say it was like chemistry or some sort of crap like that.

"Yes, actually. I took a liking to the name John Smith. I suppose you could call me that."

I grinned at him. "Alright then, John Smith. I'm Toni Carter."

"Toni Bryant-Carter, actually. When your sister got married, she kept her maiden name, and her husband, Casey-who you fancy, mind-let you take his name because he wanted Marie to take his name, but she didn't, and you didn't want the family name, so he let you hyphenate your name and have his. Strange setup, really, but nobody ever bothers you about it because you scare people so much that they keep their mouths shut."

"How the hell do you know that? I've never told anyone that, and you just met me." I demanded.

"Just checking. I wanted to see if the name thing applies here, too."

"So, back in your universe, the same thing happens to me with my name?"

"Mostly. And no, I won't elaborate."

"Damn it. So, what was the name you had in mind for the ship?" I asked.

"What? Oh, right. I was thinking. . .Arkangel might be a good name for the ship."

I weighed the name in my mind. _Arkangel_. It was powerful, not too long, and would even be a bit intimidating to people that were still religious. I liked it. Pete and AJ probably would, too. Not that I would let him know that, though. While thinking, I kept my face straight so he couldn't tell what I was thinking. It's a thing I do, okay?

John grinned an obnoxiously good-looking grin when he saw my face.

I glared at him when he gave a small laugh. "What?"

He laughed again. "You! You even do that here! The-that thing!"

I looked at him curiously, not knowing exactly what _thing _ he was talking about. You see, I do a lot of _things_.

"That thing you do with your face! The thing you did just now! You know, where your face gets all serious so people won't know what you're thinking. You did it to me all the time, when I had a _completely brilliant_ idea 'cos you thought my head would-and I quote- "inflate so much that astronauts could see it from the moon" if you complimented me too much."

A microscopic giggle slipped through my lips, which were then firmly closed. John's eyes said that he'd heard it. (How had he known that about me? Had I traveled with him?) I brushed his look off with a clever remark.

"From what Rose has told me, your head could've done with some swelling."

John's eyebrow raised challengingly. "Oh, really? What's she told you?"

I shrugged casually, leaning back into my seat. "Northern accent, short hair, leather jacket, big ears, bad temper, hates boyfriends. The works. That's pretty much all there is to it, isn't it?" I knew much more than that, but I just didn't want him to know how much Rose had spilled her guts about _every single detail she could remember about him_.

He raised an eyebrow. "Really? Are you sure that's _all _she told you?"

I shrugged again. "No. I know for a fact that there's something I'm missing. I just don't know what it is...yet." I smirked at him.

"_You're flirting, Anthea._" AJ's voice rang in my ear warningly.

"Shut up, Pond." I commanded her.

"What?" John asked, confused.

I shook my head at him with a chuckle. "That was my trainee, AJ. She has a nasty habit of eavesdropping."

"_It's not eavesdropping when you leave the line open_, _Anthea!_"

"And one, two, three..."

"_Toni. Geez!_"

"Thank you very much. What's our ETA, _Amelia_?"

I could practically hear AJ resisting the urge to run down and punch me right in the face for calling her by her first name. "_Twenty minutes, ma'am._"

"Good. What's the latest and greatest?"

"_Just got word from headquarters. The reconstruction of the D.C.'s been trashed._"

"That was an option? I thought they were just gonna clean it up and move on after what happened to Alex."

"_Really?_"

"No, AJ. I knew Pete was working on trying to rebuildit. Didn't you?"

"_I thought it was just a rumor. Rory said he heard one of the guys talking about it._"

"Of course he did. Rory can get those guys to blab about anything. What did he threaten them with? 'I won't fix your dislocated shoulder until you tell me about whatever'?" I joked, knowing my trainee's doctor boyfriend would never do something like that.

"_It's like you don't even know people sometimes, I swear_." I could hear the almost-laugh in her scottish accent as she teased me right back.

"Good. Keeps you on your toes."

"You mean confused."

"Potato potahto."

"Why do people even say that? Who on earth says potahto? Or tomahto, at that matter?" The Doc-er, _John Smith _ asked from behind me.

"I thought you'd be the one to ask that question." I told him, leaning my head back against my seat and laughing. I don't know how, but I just _knew_ then that this was going to be the start of something amazing.


End file.
